Legend of a hunter
by Thebestmindone
Summary: The legend of a new hunter rises. One guardian and one little light set out to defend the last city on earth and push back the darkness.


The darkness lifted in a haze. Where was I? What was going on?

A males voice echoed into my hearing.

"Guardian… Guardian? Eyes up Guardian!!"

My vision filtered in slowly, fuzzy images of broken and rusted out….machines?

Cars, those are cars.

Hazy and indistinct thoughts ran through my brain.

"It worked! You're alive!" The voice was coming from a small white robot hovering in the air in front of me. It's single eye shining blue and the spines around its shell lifting and spinning.

"You don't know how long I've been looking for you." The little robot's eye narrowed slightly and it's spines drooped.

Why was it looking for me? Who am I?

Quinn, my name is Quinn.

The scattered memories gave me a headache, the rush of thoughts that were mine and not mine anymore bouncing off of each other.

"I'm a Ghost. Actually now I'm your Ghost. And you… Well you've been dead a long time."

Searing pain, splashes of blood dripping down my chest. Darkness swallowing me whole. No. No. I have to protect them!

"So you're going to see a lot of things you won't understand."

I stared at the little robot- Ghost. I didn't understand anything. The air was cold and biting. The scent of rust and something sweet gone to rot filling my nose.

I stared down at my hands, they were stiff and the fingers moving slowly at first. With every word the Ghost spoke my body was coming back to life. Strength and agility coming back and filling my bones with a long forgotten purpose.

A strange and beastial roar echoed across the landscape. The Ghost spun in midair its spines flaring.

"This is Fallen territory. We aren't safe here."

The Ghost spun madly in midair for a few seconds before coming to a decision.

"I have to get you to the City."

Cities still existed?

Tall buildings and the smell of exhaust, an infinite array of noise.

"Hold still."

The Ghost spun towards me and zoomed towards my face, before just… vanishing.

I stared around looking for it. I might not understand what it was, but this place had the feel of danger, and even a tiny companion was better than trying to navigate on my own.

"Don't worry I'm still with you." The voice seemed as if it was directly in my ear, reaching up to feel my gloved fingertips encountered some sort of helmet instead.

"We need to move. Fast."

Right. Ask questions when its safer.

Questions could be asked when the bullets stopped flying.

Shaking my head to clear the strange thoughts and memories, I took a step forward.

"We need to get inside the wall. I've activated the display in your helmet, its the area marked on your radar."

A tiny circle flared to life in my upper left field of vision, there was a small arrow at the topmost part. I could go that direction and maybe be safe.

I started to run.

Weaving through bodies of decaying cars was easy, my body seemed to have come back built for speed. And I wasn't going to feel tired soon.

Another howl echoed, startling birds from their perch among the cars.

Huh. Birds still existed. That was nice.

There was an open door ahead, up some rickety looking stairs that lead inside a giant hulking mass of concrete.

I ran up the stairs and began rounding the corner of the hallway. Strange chatter filled the air.

"I didn't bring you back, just for you to die again."

I agreed with the ghost on that. Living was important.

"We have to move."

Suppressing a comment that maybe the Ghost should grow legs and run for me, I sprinted up another set of stairs.

"Okay, I need to find you a weapon, before the Fallen find us."

I glanced down at myself, white armor covered my entire body, and there on my right leg was a small knife holstered. But from the sound of those howls I needed something that packed more of a punch than a tiny throwing knife.

Hours of practice. Sending the knife through the air into targets, sparring and slashing, turning the blade into an extension of my arm.

I paused at the top of the stairs and looked out across a metal cat walk. Windows to my right were so grimy that the sunlight came in weak and cold.

I crossed the catwalk into the darkness that waited. As soon as it became impossible to see the Ghost flared into existence at my shoulder, its single eye projecting a beam of light ahead.

"Quiet. They're right above us."

Footsteps clanged against metal as more chatter filled the air.

Up more steps to a platform in a sea of darkness.

"Hang tight." The Ghost floated out into the void. "The Fallen thrive in the dark, we won't. We need more light. I'll see what I can do."

The Ghost's spines flew away from the tiny sphere that housed its eye. It seemed to be looking for something.

Or just stretching.

The knife on my leg leaped into my hand as the Ghost flew around the room, illuminating metal columns that had...things skittering up the side.

"Another one of these hardened military systems."

Marching in step with hundreds of others, the metal of the rifle in my hands cool and shining.

"And a few centuries of entropy working against me."

So the Ghost had a sense of humor installed. Good.

Lights flickered into life, showing more of those things climbing down, and stranger yet some flying, their red eyes screaming menace.

"They're coming for us!"

I followed the ghost to a metal grate that had been lowered almost all the way.

"Here. I found a rifle." The ghost hovered over a rifle leaning against some boxes past the grate. I slid under the grate.

"Grab it."

The metal was clean at least. And it had a clip in it. It was old and still the most beautiful sight.

"I hope you know how to use that thing."

A man in a uniform standing in front a group, breaking a weapon down into its component pieces and putting it back together. The same man at a range, helping the students perfect their aim.

"Watch for motion on the tracker."

From there everything blurred together. Sprinting through hallways, feeling the sweet relief when I squeezed the trigger and pumped bullets into the face of what my display labeled as a dreg.

A brief pause when-

"A loot cache! Let's see what's inside."

I made a mental note to ask the ghost who the hell was leaving loot chests in area's like this. A simple sniper rifle lay inside, I grabbed it and swung it across my back.

Controlled breathing, steady trigger squeeze, one shot, one kill

"Trip mines. Don't touch them."

"Really. You think?" I finally spoke. The Ghost made a strange mechanical chatter. Like I had suprised it.

There were metal cylinders projecting the red lasers. A bullet to the source and the way was clear.

And repeat.

Once more for shits and giggles.

Killing the strange creatures, some with two arms, some with four, some that were just floating heads.

Every hit they managed to land hurt, but not for long.

A small bar across the top of my sight caught my attention.

"That measures your health. If you take too much damage, your body will shut down and I will revive you."

Right. Add that to the list of things that needed a better explanation.

Though shooting one of the dregs so that it stumbled back into its own trip mine was deeply satisfying.

A dreg dropped from the ceiling as I was reloading and what do you know. A knife to the face would drop one of the bastards too.

Finally we broke into an open room, with more of the...Fallen?

Clearing the room took a minute. Then the Ghost and I entered another hallway, slipping through a gap in the metal mesh guarding and giant fan, I asked one question.

"Where is the ammo coming from?"

"I'm creating it, from the Fallen you kill. If they have any on them I can synthesize it to work with whatever weapon you have."

Useful. Made reloading a snap too.

"The Fallen have a tighter hold on this place than I thought. Just a little bit further. Let's hope there's still something out there."

Out there turned out to be actually outside again. Rusted buildings dotted the landscape, with snow drifts piling up against their weak walls.

"This was an old cosmodrone. There's got to be something we can fly out here."

A red flare shot up into the sky just as my boots touched the snow. Fantastic.

"Incoming!"

The night sky began swirling with light, and a soft boom echoed as a giant ship just… appeared in the air.

It knocked over distant towers, and the shockwave its appearance created shook the earth and scared up flurries of snow.

"Fallen ships this close to the surface? Move!!"

I darted across the snow into a rundown building. Moving away from that seemed to be the wisest idea.

And then it was war. Fighting across an open area, outnumbered, and still disoriented was not a party.

More than once the little bar in my helmet's visor dipped into the red. But still, I didn't die.

Just as I dropped the last dreg with my knife a strange warmth blasted through me. As if a great light had suddenly landed on me.

"That's the Travelers light. You're doing well to have increased your level already. Experience, the things you do to push back the darkness, grants you greater access to the gift of the light."

I sighed. The Ghost was probably trying to make sense. Besides, I did feel as though something was shining within me.

"I'm picking up signs of an old jumpship. Could be our ticket out of here."

Yes. Out of here would be good. Great.

"Show me the way little Ghost."

A new indicator appeared on the radar in my visor.

"With your new access to the light, you might be able to use a grenade. Try to gather the burning feeling in your left hand, and then throw it." The Ghost seemed to be aware that everything it said only confused me further.

"I can bring up a menu for you in your visor. But maybe not here. I'm sorry Guardian. I will explain everything once you're safe."

Fair enough.

We finally made it to a room with, what seemed to be the world's oldest and maybe shabbiest ship.

"There's a ship! Clear them out."

Whatever.

There was a new enemy here. The display called it a captain. It loomed over the dregs, and the four armed vandals. The captain was surrounded by a blue haze.

"Those are it's shields. You'll have to drop them before you can hurt the captain."

I pulled the sniper rifle from my back, and as steady as I could have hoped, put two shots perfectly into the ugly things head. From there the auto rifle I had found first made quick work of the dregs and vandals. Even a few of those flying shanks.

And somehow it all came together. I managed to create a grenade that burst into flames, and once again. I was the only thing left breathing.

"Alright let me see if I can get us out of here."

I walked up to the ships dirty hull, as the Ghost popped into existence. It zoomed around the ship.

"It's been here a while. Hasn't made a jump in centuries. We're lucky the Fallen haven't picked it clean."

"Will it fly?" The Ghost turned and its spines spun, a single blue eye shining at me.

"I can make it work." Ghost seemed very confident in itself. I'd trust in the little fella. For now.

The engines started up with a slow, but steady whir of noise. The cables that had kept it suspended from the ceiling snapped, and after a worrying lurch, the ship brought itself back to a slightly wonky hover.

"It won't break orbit. But it should make it to the City. Now about that transmat."

I wondered briefly, and insanely, if the ghost was just one with the ship or if there was a tiny little captain's chair in there the size of half an eggshell.

My musings were broken by a howl louder than all the ones before. Fear rising in my chest I spun in time to see Fallen pour out of a hold in the wall, followed by a giant, four armed, multiple eyed, beast. With a gun in its hands the size of my entire body. This was not a fight I was ready for.

"Bringing you in!"

And thank god for that. The inside of the ship was as unimpressive as the outside. But it lurched into the sky nonetheless.

The Ghost was hovering above some panels, apparently flying the ship.

"We can come back for them when you're ready. Let's get you home."

We flew through snow capped mountains, and over clouds. The Ghost turned to look at me.

"It will take a few minutes to reach the city. If you have some questions we can start now."

Right. The most obvious. "What I am now?"

"You are a Guardian. Brought back to life by the travelers light, to help in the war against enemies like those Fallen."

A giant white orb in the sky. An age of advancement, and wonder.

"I remember…. I think."

The Ghost drifted closer.

"Some Guardians retain memories of their life before. Some don't. There's no real logic to it."

I nodded. The strange flashes of memory had been distracting during the fighting.

"Eyes up Guardian. We're dropping into the city."

Up ahead was a giant tower, looming over a wide expanse of city. Above it all was the Traveler, but more rugged than the pristine orb from my memories.

The ship turned to the tower and pulled up to a railing. The peculiar feeling of transmat took over and I dropped down onto my feet on a concrete terrace. The tower was huge. And there were Ghosts and Guardians everywhere. It was so busy, and almost too much. Until my Ghost spoke up.

"Welcome to the last safe city on earth. It's the one place the traveler can still protect. It took centuries to build, but now we count every day it stands."

The Ghost spun around.

"And this tower is where the Guardians live. You'll have a room here too. But first. You should meet your vanguard."

"My what Ghost?"

"There are different types of Guardians. Three to be exact. There are warlocks, they love lore and learning, and the mystic part of this all." The Ghost pointed a spine at a woman standing near to me, in floor length red robes, with a book under her arm and a rifle on her back.

"Then you have titans. They are the ones that protect the wall. More brute force and well… smashing of things." This time it was a huge man, in black armor, who seemed to be comparing the merits of two huge rocket launchers.

"You said three?" My Ghost seemed to smile at me.

"You are a hunter. Hunter's explore the very reaches of what we know. Tend to work best alone, and really favor knives when guns fail."

Well. Couldn't really deny that. The Ghost started hovering towards a set of stairs that led down into the ground.

"Your vanguard is Cayde-6. He's an exo. Exo's are….well.. You'll see."

I followed the Ghost down the steps, Past a deeply disturbing woman in green and black that seemed to be deep in disagreement with herself.

"That's Eris. She's...been through a lot." Even the Ghost seemed uncomfortable.

And a giant of a man with one horn snapped off of his helmet. He was lecturing the guardians in front of him about honor and victory.

"Lord Shaxx handles the crucible. It's a place where guardians can fight each other in competitions. Plus the crucible arenas are also in places the tower wants to keep an eye on."

Up ahead was a long table with three people spread out around it. The corner closest to me had a beautiful dark skinned woman in warlock robes. Her lack of hair seemed incredibly practical after I caught a glimpse of my helmet hair in the windows across the way. At the far end of the table was a huge blue man. Probably a titan. His eyes snapped up to mine, and I felt myself being measured and left wanting.

The third person was standing by himself on the left side of the table, pouring over a map. He was definitely a robot of some sort. Blue metal made up his face, including a horn like protrusion from his forehead. He looked up as I approached and somehow, those blue eyes were the warmest thing I'd seen all day.

"Well, hey there, stranger. Welcome to the tower. A new Hunter? I'd toast to your health but I'm supposed to be all reputable now."

Cayde-6 seemed. Kind. Not as uptight as the warlock woman looked, or half as strict as the blue behemoth.

"Yes. Brand new hunter here." I offered a small smile.

"I knew it!" He did a small fist pump then gestured at his ghost. A new armor plated chest piece appeared in mid air, then my ghost seemed to… take it?

God this was all confusing.

"Good to have you on your feet. Take this and put it on. The wilds are a tough place."

"Thanks boss." If anything my informality made Cayde-6 grin wider.

"Go get them tiger."

I headed back up the steps.

"Now what little Ghost? Actually wait. Do you have a name?"

My Ghost seemed suprised.

"I have an official designaiton of Delta-20024."

I sighed.

"I'm calling you D2. That okay?"

D2's spines spun wildly.

"Guardian that is more than okay."

"How about you just call me Quinn and tell me who else I need to talk to before I can get back out there."

Fifteen minutes later I had a brand new pulse rifle from Banshee. Who seemed thoroughly surprised when I asked for a field cleaning kit with it. But also impressed.

Amanda Holliday didn't have a spare warp drive, but Commander Zavala seemed to think that one could be scavenged from the Fallen where I had found my ship.

"Quinn? Do you want to go back out right now? Or should I show you where your quarters will be?"

I grinned at D2. "Let's go back out. After all I just took like a thousand year long dirt nap I'm good for a while."

A single blue eye blinked at me. "Ready whenever you are Guardian."


End file.
